职场技巧：如何把坏消息告诉老板

 　　Breaking bad news to your boss is like being the sober sister on girl’s night; someone has to be the sacrificial lamb. While you may have trepidations about informing your supervisor¹ that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong, the situation may be a blessing² in disguise.

　　把坏消息告诉老板就像女生狂欢夜里有个冷静清醒的姐姐一样，总是要有人当牺牲品的。虽然要通知主管事情已经糟糕透顶会让你很担忧，但这种情况可能是因祸得福。

　　Employers are looking for individuals who know how to think on their feet, can adapt quickly and can communicate effectively. Reframing a work travesty³ by offering up solid, well-researched solution in a timely manner will prove to your boss you’re not only a thinker, but also a doer with management potential.

　　雇主正在寻找那些知道如何替他们思考、迅速适应能力强并能有效沟通的人。及时提供可靠的、仔细研究过的方案来重新梳理工作，会向老板证明你不只会思考，也是一个有管理能力的实干者。

　　So when that moment strikes and you have to break bad news to the person determining if you can to go home for the holidays, consider the following strategies:

　　所以，当你必须对那个能决定你是否有假期的人说出坏消息时，可以考虑以下策略：

　　职场技巧：如何把坏消息告诉老板

　　1. Bring the whole story to the table.

　　1. 把整件事说清楚

　　Before you make a move, consider the source. Is this information coming from a credible⁴ outlet⁵ or individual? Providing disturbing yet uninformed information is problematic. Do your research (quickly!) so you can provide context to the decision-maker. Then they can make a choice on how to proceed.

　　在你行动之前，考虑下信息的源头。消息是来自可信的渠道还是个人？提供令人烦恼而且是非正规渠道的信息有点不妥。你要做好调查（要快！），这样就可以为决策者提供相关信息。然后他们可以选择如何做。

　　Knowing all the details helps frame the situation, allows for the best decision-making to occur and makes you look like a mature and informed colleague rather than an opportunistic tattletale.

　　知道所有细节有助于了解总体情况，可以做出最好的决策，也能使你看起来像个成熟和明智的员工，而不是投机取巧、搬弄是非的人。

　　2. Be an objective party.

　　2. 做中立的一方

　　Taking sides and passing blame does nothing to solve the problem. Instead, you’ll only paint yourself in a negative and self-serving manner — the complete opposite of what you want.

　　偏袒和推卸责任对解决问题没有帮助。相反，你只会塑造不积极和自私的个人形象——这跟你想要的完全相反。

　　Referencing the person at fault isn’t necessary to solving the immediate⁶ problem, and if necessary at all, should be set to the side until a solution has been found. Dodging⁷ any assertions of blame helps you to avoid looking like you’re stepping on another employee to make yourself look good. Plus, you’ll protect your working relationships with all parties involved.

　　把犯错的人指出来对解决眼前的问题并不一定有用，如果一定要这么做，应先放到一边直到找到了解决方案再说。不断言责任承担者能让你看起来不像是踩着别人往上爬的人。另外，你能保护所有利益相关方的工作关系。

　　3. Present problem-solving options.

　　3. 提供解决问题的方法

　　You’ll accomplish nothing if all you do is break bad news empty-handed. Options are necessary. To lessen⁸ the likelihood of being on the receiving end of reactionary⁹ insults, make sure to come with alternatives in hand.

　　如果你做的只是在什么都没准备的情况下说出坏消息，你将一无所获。解决方案是必须给的。为了减少被骂的狗血淋头的可能性，一定要有备选方案。

　　But keep in mind that offering effective solutions requires more than just a Google search and a few thrown-together spreadsheets. No solution can be implemented¹⁰ without employee energy, so assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each potential solution.

　　但请记住提供有效的解决方案需要的不仅仅是谷歌和一些东拼西凑的表格。解决方案要有员工的积极协助才能落实，所以要评估每个潜在解决方案的优势、劣势、机会和威胁。

1 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

2 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

3 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

8 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

9 reactionary   

n.反动者，反动主义者；adj.反动的，反动主义的，反对改革的

参考例句：

• They forced thousands of peasants into their reactionary armies.他们迫使成千上万的农民参加他们的反动军队。
• The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。

10 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句